Machine for folding box-trays.



No. 880,032. I PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906. J. P. WRIGHT. MACHINE FOR FOLDINGBOX TRAYS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, 1902. RENEWED JAN. 21, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 000,032. PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1000. J. P. WRIGHT.

. MACHINE FOR FOLDING BOX TRAYS.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 0, 1002. RENEWED JAN. 21. 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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THE NORRIS PETERS co.. wasumcruu r No. 830.032.- PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906.

J. P. WRIGHT.

MACHINE FOR FOLDING BOX TRAYS.

APPLICATION rum) IEB.6, 19oz. nmznwnn JAN. 21. 1905.

4 SEEETS SHBET a.

No. 830,082. PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906. J. P. WRIGHT.

MACHINE FOR FOLDING BOX TRAYS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, 1902. RENEWED JAN. 21, 1905.

' 4 BHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT ora ion.

JACOB P. IVRIGHT, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE DIAMOND MATCH COMPANY,OF NEI/V YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR FOLDING BOX-TRAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB P. WRIGHT, of Akron, in the county of Summit,and in the State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Folding Box-Trays and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l isa side elevation of a portion of a machine embodying my invention. Fig.2 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan viewthereof. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. Figs. 5 and 6are views corresponding to Fig. 4, showing the parts in differentpositions; and Fig. 7 is a plan view of a blank adapted to be operatedupon by the illustrated machine.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

The object of my invention has been to provide a machine for foldingbox-trays, which machine shall be capable of rapidly and accuratelyfolding such trays, so that they can readily be inserted into theirshucks and to such ends my invention consists in the machine for foldingbox-trays hereinafter specified.

The machine which I have chosen to illustrate my invention is especiallyadapted for folding a tray such as is illustrated in Fig. 7, which trayconsists of a bottom a, having side flaps a and ends a formed on orattached thereto, one of such ends having a flap a formed upon its freeedge and the other of such ends having a short flap a" formed upon itsfree edge. The side flaps and ends are folded perpendicularly to thebottom. The long flap is then folded parallel to the bottom and theshort flap folded upon the long flap, as illustrated in Figs 5 and 6.

In carrying my invention into practice I provide a base A, upon whichare secured parallel guide-rails B, that are separated by a distancesubstantially equal to the width of a folded tray. Upon the outer facesof the said rails are pivoted arms O, that are connected by a cross-barD, the said arms and cross-bar forming a yoke. The pivots areconveniently formed by screws threaded into the sides of the rails. Uponone of the arms O a crank-arm c is formed, and such arm upon its freeend carries an antifrictionroller 0, which roller engages a path-cam E,formed in the side of a cambody F, which 'cam-body is mounted upon ashaft having bearing in brackets on the under face ofthe bed. The cam isuniformly driven in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4 byany convenient means. Upon the cross-bar D is secured or fastened atooth or teeth G. The said tooth is provided with a concave front face9, that in a downward direction approaches the pivot of the yoke, andwith a convex rear face 9, whose lower edge meets the lower edge of theface g, and which surface recedes from the surface 9 in an upwarddirection. A link .H, having a cross-bar h and two side bars h, ispivoted to the ends of the arms C by means of its side bars h. Ashoulder ha is formed upon each of the arms, and each of such shouldersis adapted to engage a pin that projects from the side of an arm C, sothat when the yoke is raised above a given point it shall carry with itthe link. At the rear of the link a cover L is mounted upon the rails,and such cover is provided with upwardly and forwardly curved arms 1,that are adapted to guide the link and to prevent its being thrown overforward when the yoke is quickly raised. A carrier-belt M is mounted totravel on the face of the bed and between the rails, and such belt isprovided with holders m, that engage the trays and cause them to movewith the belt. Each of such holders consists of two plate-like arms thatare perpendicular to each other, and each folder is mounted in anopening in the belt by a pin passing through the belt and the point ofunion of said arms.

In the operation of my machine as above illustrated the tray-blank isplaced upon the carrier-belt between the rails, with its side flaps afolded into vertical position with the folder, so that its upper arm isvertical, and with the front end (L2 of the tray resting against therear face of the folder. The long flap extends rearward, raised slightlyabove the belt by a button m on the upper face of the belt, and theshort -flap a extends vertically. In this condition the carrier carriesthe tray toward the yoke and link. The yoke is depressed by its cam, sothat the point of its tooth rests upon or stands close to the surface ofthe belt. The long flap rides up upon the surface 9 of the tooth and isthus turned to a vertical position. The tooth is then raised above thelevel of the side flaps a, and as the tray continues its rearward travelthe long flap passes under the tooth and is folded down upon the body ofthe tray. The tooth then descends to assist such folding opera tion. Therearward end of the long flap then passes beneath the cross-bar h of thelink, which latter keeps the flap under control and prevents its turningover rearward, and before the said flap has escaped from the control ofthe link it begins to pass beneath the forward edge of the cover L,which is beveled to facilitate such passage, and the said cover foldsthe said flap downward, if necessary, and. holds it down, so that theshort flap can be folded over the same. The tooth having acted upon thelong flap is raised high enough so that the short flap can pass beneathboth the tooth and the link, and when such flap has passed to the rearof the crossbar h of the link the yoke is depressed, lowering the linkupon the tops of the rails and causing the cross-bar to travel rapidlyto the rear, and

such action brings the cross-bar against the front face of the shortflap and causes it to be folded down upon the long flap and to be heldthere until the short flap has passed beneath the cover, which latterprevents either flap from rising.

The above-illustrated embodiment of my invention is capable of manychanges which are within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a machine forfolding box-trays, the combination of a carrier for box-trays, a pivotedarm having a tooth that is inclined toward the pivot of said arm, a linkpivoted to said arm and having a crossbar substantially parallel to saidpivot, and means for moving said arm and link, whereby said tooth isfirst caused to engage and fold a flap formed on the rear end of atray-blank carried by said carrier, and said crossbar is then caused toengage and fold a flap formed on the front end of said tray-blank,substantially as described.

2. In a machine for folding box-trays, the

combination of a carrier for box-trays, a pivoted arm having a tooththatis inclined toward the pivot of said arm, a link pivoted to said armand having a cross-bar substantially parallel to said pivot, means formov ing said arm and link, whereby said tooth is first caused to engagea flap formed on the rear end of a tray-blank carried by said carrier toraise said flap from a horizontal position and to fold it over upon thetrayblank, whereby said tooth and'said cross-bar are then raised above aflap formed on the front end of such tray-blank, and whereby saidcrossbar is then lowered and moved rearward to fold said last-mentionedflap, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a machine for folding box-trays, the combination of a pair ofguide-rails, a carrier for tray-blanks, movable between saidguide-rails, a pivoted arm movable in a plane perpendicular to saidcarrier, a tooth carried by said arm, a second arm pivoted to the freeend of said first-mentioned arm, a cross-bar carried by said second armand extending transversely to said carrier, and a cover on said rails atthe rear of the rearmost position of said cross-bar, and means formoving said arms, whereby said tooth is caused to engage and fold over aflap formed on the rear endof a blank carried by said carrier, wherebysaid cross-bar is then caused to engage said flap until said flap haspassed beneath said cover, and whereby said crossbar is then raised overa flap formed on the front end of said tray-blank, and is caused toengage the front I face of said flap to fold said flap on saidfirstmentioned flap, and to hold it until it has passed beneath saidcover, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this16th day of January, A. D. 1902. Y

JACOB P. WRIGHT. Witnesses:

B. O. Ross, 0. A. TIOKNER.

